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A man sorts black and white photos on a table while a gray cat sniffs at the pile. 23 / 24

Grandpa Sorted Old Photographs While Slate Checked Every One

AI imagerussian bluefamily photoskitchen table

Black-and-white photographs fan out across the table, and Grandpa leans over them with a thoughtful, gentle smile, one hand resting on a picture. Slate stretches her nose toward the pile, gold eyes narrowed in focus. Behind them, the kitchen is warm and softly lit, with framed pictures on the wall and mugs on the counter.

There are small faces and old street scenes in the pile, and a pair of glasses and a ring of keys sit at the edge. Grandpa looks like he is remembering names and places as he goes. Slate looks like she wants to be sure each picture is properly sniffed.

Old photographs are precious, and cats tend to be curious about anything new on the table. A cat's strong sense of smell lets her investigate paper, ink, and the scent of the hands that held it. To protect old pictures, keep them out of reach of claws and paws when she is nearby, and store them in albums or boxes afterward. It also helps to give her something just as interesting to sniff, like a catnip toy or a cardboard box. If your cat tends to chew paper, talk to your vet.

Every picture has a story, and the cat is listening. There are decades of stories in that pile, and a cat is a surprisingly good listener. By the time the last photo is sorted, Slate will have inspected every corner, and Grandpa will have remembered a few more names.

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